The Adventures of Odysseus and The Tales of Troy eBook

’Then Odysseus went away and returned as a peddler
carrying in his pack such things as maidens admire—­veils
and ornaments and brazen mirrors. But under the
veils and ornaments and mirrors the wise Odysseus left
a gleaming sword. When he came before the maidens
in the King’s orchard he laid down his peddler’s
pack. The mirrors and veils and ornaments were
taken up and examined eagerly. But one of the
company took up the gleaming sword and looked at it
with flashing eyes. Odysseus knew that this was
Achilles, King Peleus’ son.

’He gave the youth the summons of King Agamemnon,
bidding him join the war that the Kings and Princes
of Greece were about to wage against Troy. And
Achilles was glad to get the summons and glad to go.
He returned to Phthia, to his father’s citadel.
There did he make ready to go to Aulis where the ships
were being gathered. He took with him his father’s
famous warriors, the Myrmidons who were never beaten
in battle. And his father bestowed on him the
armour and the horses that had been the gift of Zeus—­the
two immortal horses Xanthos and Balios.

’But what rejoiced Achilles more than the gift
of marvellous armour and immortal steeds was that
his dear comrade, Patroklos, was to be with him as
his mate in war. Patroklos had come into Phthia
and into the hall of Peleus when he was a young boy.
In his own country he had killed another boy by mischance
over a game of dice. His father, to save him from
the penalty, fled with him to King Peleus. And
Achilles’ father gave them refuge and took Patroklos
into his house and reared him up with his own son.
Later he made him squire to Achilles. These two
grew up together and more than brothers they loved
each other.

[Illustration]

’Achilles bade good-bye to Phthia, and to his
hero-father and his immortal mother, and he and Patroklos
with the Myrmidons went over the sea to Aulis and
joined the host of the Kings and Princes who had made
a vow not to refrain from war until they had taken
King Priam’s famous city.’

XI

Achilles became the most renowned of all the heroes
who strove against Troy in the years the fighting
went on. Before the sight of him, clad in the
flashing armour that was the gift of Zeus and standing
in the chariot drawn by the immortal horses, the Trojan
ranks would break and the Trojan men would flee back
to the gate of their city. And many lesser cities
and towns around Troy did the host with the help of
Achilles take.

’Now because of two maidens taken captive from
some of these cities a quarrel between Achilles and
Agamemnon grew up. One of the maidens was called
Chryseis and the other Briseis. Chryseis was given
to Agamemnon and Briseis to Achilles.

[Illustration]

’The father of Chryseis was a priest of Apollo,
and when the maiden, his daughter, was not given back
to him, he went and prayed the god to avenge him on
the host. Apollo listened to his prayer, and straightway
the god left his mountain peak with his bow of silver
in his hands. He stood behind the ships and shot
his arrows into the host. Terrible was the clanging
of his silver bow. He smote the beasts of the
camp first, the dogs and the mules and the horses,
and then he smote the men, and those whom his arrows
smote were stricken by the plague.